Apparatus for picking up peat-blocks.



T. A. MIGHILL. APPARATUS FOR PIGKING Ul PBAT BLOCKS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20, 1911.

Patented July 7,1914

WitNEsL-aas- #Q E @fm T. A. MIGHILL.

APPARTUS FOR PIGKING UP PEAT BLOCKS. APPLICATION FILED APR. zo, 1911.

1,1 02,781 Eaten'ted July 7, 191% WiDNEESI-:E l Y 'INVENEUF\ T. A. MIGHILL. n APPARATUS FOR PIGKING UP FEAT-BLOCKS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 20, 1911.

anted July 7, 19M.

m .ws

M W W;

a misi# A@ y? j-sfrnrns PATENT oFF-ion.

'.rnoms A. MIGHILL, or CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

Arrnnurns 'ron Home FEAT-BLOCKS.

. Peat-Blols, of whic the following is a and the blocks lformedfby a machine 'such as' shown in my application SerlalNo. 617,061',

specification. I

In the system for drying peat forming the subject matterl of my application for Letters Patent, lSerial No."`617',060, tiled March 27,'f1911, a level-surfaced bed o f. finelydivideddry peat is employed asfa` drying-bed on which the wet peat reposes while drying. The wet peat is arranged on said bed in the form of-blocks'of suitable size,` for fuel, and may be delivered thereto and these blocks when-partially .dry may 'be turned-over, if desired, andthe drying operation permitted .to continue until completed when the blocks arepicked up and transported -vfromlthe bed'.v Thissystem is economical 'and possesses many advantages. This invention relates to an app atus .for l picking up'the dried blocks of pea and transport-in theml from the field to the place Wherethefp at-blocks are to bestored.

In accordance with this invention the apparatus 'isi-portablezand adapted to bepropelled over the drying-field and is provided with means 'to automatically pick? lup the dried vblocks of peat rapidly and convey them to: a suitable receptacle arrjangedon or connected with the apparatus, l The apparatus is adapted to 'be propelled and operatedby power, soathat-it may be moved over a field of large area-in .a short period of time and pick up the blocks.

' A .sth'e capacity of the apparatus to pick up blocks and convey themto the receptacleA is lverylarge,,andthe apparatus, as an en'- tirety, ,quite ponderous and heavy, said receptacle is arranged on anA independent truck-frame'or car, and means provided to detachably connect said oar wlth the truckframe `or .carbearing thepicking-up and hloclr-eonv'eyingmeans, so that when the .receptacle is filled the oar bearing it may be detached from the car bearing the pickingup and conveying means and moved by its own pmver--operated propelling-means at a good speed., preferably much faster' than lthe speed at 'which the apparatus 1s usually I specication of Letters Patent.

`finely divi Patented July 7, I1914.

Appucationmeapm21,1911. seriai No. 622.256.

i l i. i .L i v I driven, toria place wherethe peat-blocksare stored. .Y -The car bearing lthe receptacle is their returned. and connected to the rear of the car bearing the picking-up and conveying-meting, and the apparatus is then advanced andthe operation con.tinued.g; Two or more cars bearing receptacles for. the dried" peat-hlocks-may be employed, particularly in case 'of emergency, so that theipickingup and conveying-means will not remain idle .during-the: harvesting time but for very short periods,o'f time.

In-j the'embodiment of myinvention here shown, for., the sake of illustration, the apparatus is adapted to be operated-,in conneotion with;` a drying-bed composed of dry peat, prepared between a pair. of rai S on'which the apparatus is propelled, which forms a part of my newly deijised system, but its essential principles of operation are not confined to use in connection with such a bed.

The invention also. com-prehends essentially za set off. inclined block-lifting fingers -arr'angecl horizontally and adapted -Ito be heldin -a fixed position and so supported tha-t--when-movedforward their lower for- Ward ends A.will pass. beneath thel block s successively zand lift them -from the bed, and the .succeeding blocks will push the blocks aheadfof them -up and 'along said inclined ingersto the block-conveyin .means The invention also compre ends. inclined blockconveying means here shown as compr-ising vat; least two inclined conveyers, ar-

ranged one in continuation of 'the other,

which vextend from the block-lifting fingers to a point above the top of the receptacle.

The uppermost conveyer .is made quite long and extends the greater part of the distance between the blockflifting fingers and the re- `ceptacle,.is held by fixed supports and is heavily. constructed to adapt it to carry a heavy load, and the lower-most conveyor is made quite short compared with 'the aforesaid conveyor and is held by adjustable sup'Y ports, so ythat it may be moved to cause its lower en d to occupy different elevated posit tions, land the blocklifting lingers are supported at the lower end o f said last named conveyor so' as to be raised and lowered with itv and held in diiferent positions of adjustment. When moving the `apparatus to and from the field,.said conyeyer. and block- .lifting fingers will beraised into their out- 111e" .equipped with ,is very desirable.

if-nse1 fositi'on, so as not to .engage any obstacle'sm the path of progress of the apparatus, but when moving the apparatus over the field for the purpose of picking-'up the bleckssaid conveyer' and fingers are lowered farfenough to'enable .the lower forward ends either-fingers to pa beneath; the blocks.

'ZVVhlei 'each-'car '.,bearin'g a coperative part'. of: `t?he organize'dapparatus, may be anelectric 'or other motor, andv a` controller-therefor, yet, ordinarily, the motoren-the carr the .receptacle willbe used tof'pro l the entirea paratus bypushing along-t ecar ahead o 1t.

`The.block-conveying means may be o er' ated bywthe -motor `which is emploiy; to operate the propelling-means for t ev apparatus, and in case only4 onezmotor is .employed, atively connected y with said motor, butindependent control of the conveying-means ABy employing van electh'e speed tric 'motor and controller therefor,

'maybe varied .so that the apparatus may beadvanced at a slow rate of speed when picking up the blocks and thefcar bearing the receptacle, when detached fl'om the car bearing" the picking-up -and conveying-means, may be propelled at a high rate of speed to the lplace of storage and to return.

v yFigure 1 isa side elevation of a portable apparatus embodyingipsthis invention for vpeat-bloc and ltransporting up 7. em" om the field. 2 is a plan view rso Said platforms are constructed in ofthe apparatus shown 'in Fig. 1. Figa-3 isanenlargeddetail showin 1n elevation 'a portion of a prope ing-means for the apparatus.' Fig. 4 is a plan detail of the parts shown 1n Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an en- '4o arged 4detail of a portion of the primary conveyor and picking-up device. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of a modified form of apparatus embodying my invention.

Y 10 represents the platform of the front car and 12 the platform of the rear car.

any. suitable manner andare respectively mounted on axles 13 bearing wheels 14, here shownV as langedfthus adapting them to run on rails 15 between which a prepared bed 16 of dry peat .is arranged. The blocks 17 to be picked up and transported from the field repose on the drying-bed and ordinarily will cover the entire area of said bed, and as the drying-bed here shown is arranged between a pair of rails, and hence is quite long and narrow, the blocks are arranged in a correspondingly low, narrow row, the sides of which are arranged near the rails. v

' On the front car and in advance of the means employed to pickup the blocks means are l'provided to engage the side blocks of the row and push them inward toward the middle. This is particularly desirable in said conveying-means will. be opercase the blocks `are arranged on .the .bed quite close to the rails. Said means to push inward the side blocks of the row, asv here shown, comprises a pair of horizontally arranged shoes 20, one at each side o the apparatus, having their adjacent or inner sides or .faces inclined in a direction from front to rear, as at 21, the opposite sides or faces being arranged in parallel with the rails. Said shoes are attached to the lower 4ends of upright bars 22, 22, supported 'and' guided to move vertically at the front end -of the platform.` Each bar may have a vertical slot, 23, Vsee dotted lines Fig. 1`, to receive the attaching-bolts 24, to thus admit of. vertical ad'ustment 'when attached to the platform.

26', and both pinions 26, 26, are secured'to a horizontal shaft 27, supported in bearings on the platform, and having fixed Vto it a hand-Wheel 28,'or other means to turn it to revolve the pinions, and thus move the rackbars, uprights and shoes up and down or into and out of position to engage the blocks. Backward rotation ofthe shaft 27 prevented by aratchet-wheel 29, which is secured thereto and which is engaged by a. pawl 30 on `the frame.

fWhen the apparatus is being moved to and from the eld and at other desirable times the shoes may be raised into out-ofuse position and subsequently lowered and held at any desired elevation. Said shoes are thus stationarily held in position to engage the side blocks of the row and will be caused to operate and push inward toward the middle said side blocks by the advancing movement of the apparatus. While the means thus described satisfactorily operates to push in toward the middle the side blocks of the row, and may be conveniently ad- `iusted, yet my invention includes within its lscope other means capable of pushing in toward the middle the side blocks of a row when adapted to operate on the principle herein described. In rear of said pushingin devices the means to pick up the blocks is arranged. As here shown, said meansv comprises a set of horizontally arranged inclined lingers attached at their up er ends to a supporting-bar 36, their lower orward ends being free. Said fingers are held stationary when in use with their lower forward ends just below the bottoms of the blocks 17, so that as the machine is advanced said lower forward ends are caused to project beneath the blocks and to cause the succeeding blocks t0 push'the blocks ahead of them up and along the fingers, the blocks thus sliding along on the fingers in a direction toward the conveying means.

When using the apparatus in connection with a drying-bed such as shown in my apbar has attached to its` 'rear side, along its ilpper end portion, 'a' L rack-bar 25, ,which is engaged by .a pinion -plication'Nd 611060,; s'aid fingers are of 'particular .advantage-- for the reason -that Vtheir-lower forward 'eiids will penetrate the., top surface of thebed and thus'easily. project-- beneath the bottomsv of the blocks. Mv

in\-e1ition,"howev'er, includes other lforms of block-lifting' ineansy bywhich ,the blocks are 'pickediip from. tliebed .and caused to move rearwardly, whichare adaptedto operate on i0.' the principle of the block-lifting' means here.. ln'rear of said picking-up means,"

two inclined endless conveyers arranged one in rear of.and in continuation of the other.

4The forward coiiveyer comprises anend- 'l less 'supporting-element anda bed supported by it. Said supportin, g'-elenient,4 as here -23 shown, comprises a plurality of endless Jsprocket-chains 4 0, arranged inparallel, and

at a. suitable inclination, t-heir lower'fends` passing' over .sprocket-wheels" 41, mounted on a. shaft- 42, and their upper ends passino i 25 over sprocket-wheels 43 fixed to a shaft Said bed, as here shown, comprises 'a plurality of cross-slats or bars 45 attached to said inclined chains', and arranged vat short Adistances apart. 'Said conveyer receives upon 'it the blocks from the inclined fingers,

and conveyes them in a rearward fand-upward direction to the next'conveyer. The shafts 42 and 44 have ,their bearings in the side bars 46 of a frame of which the' sup-v porting-bar 36 for the-fingers 35 forms a part, it being-the' lower end bar of said .Y

frame; Several .rollers 4'? -are arranged in parallel between and Journaled at their ends in Asaid side bars 46, being located fat suit- 4() able distances apart, and said rollers are arranged betweenfthe upper and under portions of theinclined endless conveyer, so

that the upper portion of said co-,iiveyer may bear upon them and be supported -by them to '45 enable said conveyor'- to sustain a heavy load.

f The shaft 44 is' extended through and' be.- yond the side bars 46, and its ends are jourln'aled in' the side bars of the platform l10,

so that-'the frame bearing the endless con- 50 'veyer and the block-'lifting fingers is piv- -otally supported lat its upper end by said shaft, and is adapted to be raised and lowered about said shaft as anfaxi'sfor the purpose of movingithe end4 of theconveyer and-lingers into and out of operative position. This provision is' desirable' to enable the apparatus when being `moved to Aand from the dield to pass over obstacles. Stationary side boards v48`are arranged at each j 50 side of the mov-ingr conveyerto prevent the for holding them iii different positions of.

lit ismade quite short,l and of little weight,

ailjust-ment," a pair yof'li-nlis 50 are-loosely Y connected at their lower 'ends bypins 51 to the side bars 46 of: tli'eframe, near its' forward endwand tlie--aip "ij, ends of said c connected" byipins tothe desof 70 toothed gears-58, secured to-aaelioniznltalf shaft 5lhaving` its bearing on the 'platform 10jV Said -wheels are engaged by pinions 55; secured to a horizontal shaft 5'6 Aa'lso'-fliaving its bearinU-L on the platform 10,-and a wormwheel 5T is secured to saidshaft 56,,whicli isengag'ed by Ya vworin 58,011 the end of a shaft @,which isv extended rearward andcis suitably supported on the platform l0, and has at its rear end ax'liand-wheel for turning it. Said hand-wheel is located within convenient reach of the operator, who by turni ing' it may raise and lower the conveyer and fingers 'borne by it at will'. As said conejer isfdesinned to vberaisedvand lowered so that -it can be conveniently adjusted-by hand. As 'said'conveyer firstreceivesthey blocks from the picking-up device itis herein termed the primary conveyerL Said pri-- mary, conveyervis designed to be positively driven to convey the blocks fromthe fingers Y .in a rearward and upward direction to another -endless conveyer'arranged in rear thereoffand in continuationrthereof, and -ivhieli is herein ltermed the secondary conveyer.

The secondary7 ,conveyer is stationarily supported and is designed to receive the blocks from tli'e primary' conveyer and con- 100 vey them to a' receptacle on the rear car.v Said secondary conveyer comprises' a plurality of sprocket-chains GO, arranged inv parallel, their lower forward ends 'passing around sprocket-wheels 61, secured -to a 1015 aninclined surfaced table 66 is stationarily 115 supported, which formsa bed for the blocks and ou whiclithe blocks are moved along by the moving cross ,-fbars `.65, which engage them. Saidbed'inay be composed of numerous smooth boards extended lengthwise, see 1z0' -Fig. 2, and preferably arranged with narrow spacesbetweenthem tO-perxnitthe passage or sifting through'the bed of anyloose pieces 0f vdry peat which may become detached from the blocks. Incase a drying 12,5 bed of dried peat is employed, the pieces pf dry peat which sift through said spaces will servel to re-surfacethe bed to compensate for the loss due to the pieces which clin to the Vblocks'a'nd are removed ly them. ut 130 few cross-bars 65 are ordinarily required as are supported on the bed. f

The blocks pass' from the primary con-- they act to only push along theblocks which veyer to andare delivered upon the lower endot the secondary conveyer and by said conveyer are moved rearward and upward, as shown in Fig/ 1. Said secondary conveyer isV designed to,..be-p`ositi.vely driven, but preferably at a slower .speed than the primary conveyer yetat a'faster speedthan the speed of the ,ca-r. kTo drive said secondary conveyer and also, the primary -conveyer, as here shown, a vdrive-chain 70 passes around a sprocket-Wheel 71 on a horizontal shaft .72,fhaving its bearings at the rear end of the front platform 10,'and also laround a sprocketfwheel '73, secured to the shaft 64, at the upper. end of the secondary conveyer, and a sprocket-wheel`7 5 is secured to a Shaft 62 A'atftherlmver; endy'of said sec# ondary. convey'er-` around lWhich-passes a drive-chain 76, which passes around a sprocket-Wheel 77 secured tothe shaft ,44 at the upper end of the primari7 conveyer.

Thus, as the shaftQ is rotate 4both conreyers aremoved -The sprocket-Wheel 7 7 vis of lessdiameter than the sprockebwheel 75, `hence"the primary conveyei" Will be moved ata speedjfaster thanthe secondary cOnVeyer.'

4' The shaft 72 is designed to be 'driven 'by a motor on the rear-"car and as here' shown ithas securedtoitla toothed gear 80, which is'designed'to'be engaged by a toothed gear 81, secured to. a horizontal shaft 82, having its bearings on the rear platform ,12, and at the frontend thereof, said gears being so disposed with respect `to each e other that when the two platforms .approach and- "abut together, as shown in Fig; 1, said gearswill mesh, yet disengagement Vthereof is permitted when the two ears are separated. The' shaft 82 also has secured to it a .sprocket` Wheel `85, around wh1ch passes` a drive-cha1n S6, which vpasses around a sprocket-wheel 87, sleeved upona shaft 88, to which shaft a motor 89 risdireotly connected said `motor being here shown* as an electric-motorof any suitable*construction'having any usual or suitable control-led by .which its opera-tion land speed'may be controlled and a clutch 9 0 is provided to connect the sleeve bearing the sprocket-Wheel 87, Withsaid shaft 88, and

when connection is made'sad motor 89 willoperate to drive the two -conveyors'.

The clutch-i90 may be operated -by a clutch-lever.91'.` Said motor '89 is'alsoem-i ployed to propel the entire apparatus, vand for this purpose a drive-wheel- 96 .1 s sleeved on the motor-shaft 88, around whichfa' drive-belt 9 7 passes, which passes `around a t eaxles r'13 and `10 |S secured to a Shaft 109, bc wheel 1-10 for turning it. a' .wheel'112 issecuredj to said sh- Atogether they maybe held by .wheel 90, With said shaft88, havinga lever -100 to,operate it.

rest. Moreover, said independent. clu ches" .Vithy permit the connecting of the motor the axle to propel thecar without operating the conveyers.

The platform of the rear car is arranged to support a large receptacle 11.02, foi' the blocks, and one end of the receptacle extends under the orerhangingend ot the secondary conveyer, as shown in Fig.,1, so that the blocks-from said secondary conveyor will fall directly into the receptacle. Selig receptacle has hingedly connected lidsI 'l .il at the bottom to close a large openingthereat,

.andsaid lids are designedl to he operated by means here shown, consisting of links 105, connected to the opposite sides of the lids. which extend up and 'along the sides of the receptacle and are connected at their lippe-rends to crank-pins 106, arranged on the sidesiof a pair of toot-hed gears 10T, 101",

`which are in engagement 'with each taller;

and on of said gears is engaged by a pinion un" a hand engaged by a pajwl 113 to prevent hat rotation thereof. `This means for opt the lids is4 efficient, but my invention includes other means to operate them. which is constructed and arranged to operate opi the same principle. i

As illustrated in Figs. l and t?, a single motor is employed for'tlie entire apparatus, which is arranged to propell the entire apparatus or 4the rear car separately when detached from the frontcar, and also to (.perate the ccnveyers when the two cars are connected or abutted together, so that a person standing on the platform 120 may -control the operation of themotorand of When the cars are'abutted a locking-d vice, which, as here Shown,"consists of a hooked lever. 125, `pivoted 'at- 126, on the front platform and engagi ng a pin: 127 'o n the rear platformgiand'a hand-lever 1'28 1s the apparatus.

'connected with said leverY 125 to operate it.

Referring 'tofFigx 6, the two cars 4are adapted to be coupledtogether by an ordinary link-and pin and a separate.prop e111n.g`- d motor is'providedon each; car,l Vthe. motor- 140 on .the rear car being arranged to propel said car, or it may be the entire appa-l ratus 'and the motor 145 on thefront car on tlarear, -car' in propelling the entire apparatus1. And 'another motor 150'. is arranged on the .frontcar to operatey thecon.- veyer's,.it having 'al bevela'gear- 151 on its jshaft', which is engaged by a'beveligear 152 "f on ajshat 153,- which extends andi-upward and hasat its rear end'a bevelgear -154, whichengages a bevel-gear 155 -Onthe shaft 64g, bearingthe 'sprocket-wheelsv at' the upper end 'of' the .secondary conveyer.

'1; I1`1 .other` respects thev carshown in Fig. 6

' matic-a .fis substantially. the 'same as shown 'in Fig.` l.

`I clame 1.-.In an apparatus for Vpicklng up peat blocks and transporting them, a. ower car for. the transportation of the bloc a conveyer ver; Pi saldi conveyer' ear, a, power-drlven element onfthe lpc'wver ear, y

theA conveyer car'and operatively connected tofthe pickup mechanism', and means for both cars' -in movement l to autoygconnect the power-driven element and actuating 'element when the cars are 1n predetermined arrangement.

- 2. apparatus for 'piclrngvup peatl rearward v ejyer car, pick-up' ,mechanism carried cli-up mechanism carried by,A

an actuating -element on blocks and transporting them, a'- oWer car forthe transportation'of the bloc s, a c0n-l 'reyer car, pick-up mechanism carried by being arranged. to ,p'ropel the front car or lthe entire. apparatus, or to assist the motor said conveyer car,` a power-driven gear on thev power car, an actuating gearI on the conveyercar and operatively connected to the 'ick-up mechanism, and tracksfor guiding-lboth cars in' movement to automatically connect said gears whenL the cars are .in predetermined arrangement.

3c In an ap'arfatus for picking up peat blocks and transporting them, a power car for the transportation. of the blocks, 'a colpsaid conveyer car, apower-driven gear oiyi the power car, an actuating gear.. on the -conveyer ca r and .operatively connected to the picknp mechanism;V tracks for guiding both cars-in movement to automatically con-V determined arrangement, and a means fior connecting the respective cars to maintain them in such predeterminedarrangement.

InA testimony whereof, I have s1gned my name to this s'peciicatiomjinthe presence .of two v subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS A. MIGHILL.

Witnesses 4 B. J. Norse, B. Davis.

neet said gears-"when the cars are 1n pre- 

